--- title: Processor Technology Corp SOL - 10 / 20 categories: - Computers types: - Professional Computer origins: - U.S.A. years: - '1976' cpus: - Intel 8080A params: name: SOL - 10 / 20 image: /media/museum/photos/processor-tech_sol20_1.jpg company: /companies/processor-technology-corp company_name: Processor Technology Corp specs: - label: NAME value: SOL - 10 / 20 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Processor Technology Corp - label: TYPE value: Professional Computer - label: ORIGIN value: U.S.A. - label: YEAR value: End of 1976 - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Unknown - label: KEYBOARD value: QWERTY full-stroke keyboard - label: CPU value: Intel 8080A - label: RAM value: 8k, 16k or 32k (up to 48 KB) - label: VRAM value: 1 KB - label: ROM value: 1 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 64 x 16 - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: None - label: COLORS value: Unknown - label: SOUND value: Unknown - label: I/O PORTS value: RS 232, cassette, S100 Bus - label: OS value: CONSOL OS - label: POWER SUPPLY value: Unknown - label: PRICE value: Unknown tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - emulators - links - docs forum_thread: 348 photos: - title: SOL 10 MAINBOARD subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/sol4.jpg - title: SOL-20 MAINBOARD subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/sol3.jpg - title: LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/processortech_sol_bothsides_s1.jpg - title: FRONT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/sol20_opened_1.jpg - title: SOL-20 OPENED subtitle: '' text: |- This is where the expansion boards are mounted. Here are three 16k RAM expansion boards and one disk-controller board. Notice the big power-supply on the left. image: /media/museum/photos/processor-technology_sol20_inside_1.jpg - title: 'SOL-20 OPENED #2' subtitle: '' text: 'Different combination of expansion cards : There are a Processor Tech 64K memory board, a Northstar Dual Density disk controller board and a Software Technology sound card (wow).' image: /media/museum/photos/sol20_opened_2.jpg - title: SOL-20 REAR subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/processor-technology_sol20_rear_2.jpg - title: SOL STAR subtitle: '' text: |- 'Sol Star' name probably came from the dual floppy drive unit and controller card made by NorthStar. Each unit was equipped with a 179 KB Shugart SA-400 floppy drive. image: /media/museum/photos/proctech_sol_solstar_1.jpg - title: REAL COOL PICTURE subtitle: '' text: It is a memory dump done on a 1977 Sony TV Set !! ;-) image: /media/museum/photos/sol5.jpg adverts: - title: 1977 ADVERT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/processortech_sol_pub_1.jpg - title: SOL PRICE LIST subtitle: '' text: |- **Sol Systems price list (january 1977)** (K) = Kit (A) = Assembled **Sol Terminal Computers**\ SOL-PC Single board (K) **$475**\ SOL-10 (K) **$795**\ SOL-20 (K) **$995** **Memory Modules**\ PROM Resident Assembly Language (A) **$425**\ Interpretive Simulator (PROM option) (A) **$95**\ Text Editing (PROM option) (A) **$95**\ Erasable PROM module (K) **$65** (A) **$89**\ 4 Kb. low power static Ram (K) **$159** (A) **$195**\ 8 Kb. low power static Ram (K) **$295** (A) **$375**\ 16 Kb. Dynamic Ram (A) **$529** **Interface Modules**\ Parallel / Serial I/O Module (K) **$149** (A) **$199**\ System cassette interface (K) **$87** (A) **$119**\ Video Display Module (K) **$199** (A) **$295** **Mass Storage System**\ Helios II Disk system (K) **$1895** (A) **$2295** **Software**\ (C) = Cassette (P) = Paper tape\ Basic 5 (P) **$19.95**\ 8K Basic (C) **$29** (P) **$37**\ New 8080 Focal (C) **$14.50**\ Trek 80 Video game (C) **$9.50** (P) **$14.50**\ GamePack 1 (C) **$9.50** (P) **$14.50**\ MathPack Video calculator (C) **$14.50** (P) **$19.50**\ Assembler (C) **$14.50** (P) **$19.50**\ ALS 8 (C) **$35** (P) **$45** image: /media/museum/pubs/processortech_sol_system_1.jpg hardware: - title: HELIOS II DISK MEMORY SYSTEM subtitle: '' text: Dual 8'' floppy drive unit image: /media/museum/hardware/processor_technology_sol20_helios2-disk.jpg - title: 'HELIOS #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/proctech_sol_helios_2.jpg - title: HOME-MADE DISK-DRIVES subtitle: '' text: These are two dual density floppy drives (Shugart SA400) in a home made wooden case. image: /media/museum/hardware/sol20_drives.jpg emulators: - title: SOLACE url: http://www.sol20.org/solace.html platform: Windows text: Emulates a SOL-20 links: - title: A Sol-20 Web Page url: http://www.thebattles.net/sol20/sol.html text: Full of info !!! docs: - title: SOL SYSTEMS MANUAL url: http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/sol_systems_manual.jpg text: |- [**SOL SYSTEMS MANUAL**](http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html)written by Processor Technology Corporation  compiled/archived by Roger Lewis ?\  type of document : PDF\  size : 8,3 MB\  source : [www.sol20.org](http://www.sol20.org) - title: SOLOS/CUTER USER'S MANUAL url: http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/sol20_solos-manual.jpg text: |- [**SOLOS/CUTER USER'S MANUAL**](http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html)written by Processor Technology Corporation  compiled/archived by sol20.org\  type of document : PDF\  size : 99 KB\  source : [www.sol20.org](http://www.sol20.org) - title: BASIC/5 USER'S MANUAL url: http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/sol20_basic5.jpg text: |- [**BASIC/5 USER'S MANUAL**](http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html)written by Processor Technology Corporation  compiled/archived by sol20.org\  type of document : Unknown\  size : 91 KB\  source : [www.sol20.org](http://www.sol20.org) - title: 16KRA - USER'S MANUAL url: http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/16kra_user_manual.jpg text: |- [**16KRA - USER'S MANUAL**](http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html)written by Processor Technology Corporation  compiled/archived by sol20.org\  type of document : PDF\  size : 1,2 MB\  source : [www.sol20.org](http://www.sol20.org) - title: 48KRA-1 - DYNAMIC READ/WRITE MEMORY MODULE USER'S MANUAL url: http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/48kr-1_user_manual.jpg text: |- [**48KRA-1 - DYNAMIC READ/WRITE MEMORY MODULE USER'S MANUAL**](http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html)written by Processor Technology Corporation  compiled/archived by Steve Maguire\  type of document : PDF\  size : 1 MB\  source : [www.sol20.org](http://www.sol20.org) - title: MICRO-DISK SYSTEM MDS-A-D DOUBLE DENSITY - MANUAL url: http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/sol20_microdisk.jpg text: |- [**MICRO-DISK SYSTEM MDS-A-D DOUBLE DENSITY - MANUAL**](http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html)written by North Star Computers  compiled/archived by Doug Coward\  type of document : PDF\  size : 235 KB\  source : [www.sol20.org](http://www.sol20.org) oc_id: 344 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230604041241/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=344 date: '2023-06-04' --- The Sol Computer was developed by Bob Marsh, Lee Felsenstein and Gordon French. Bob founded his company, Processor Technology, in April 1975 making 4K RAM memory boards for the Altair (cause MITS couldn't make a working memory board) In June 1975, Bob and Les Solomon (technical editor of Popular Electronics) dreamed up the Sol-20 computer, Bob had a bunch of cheap walnut that he originally intented to use in a digital clock, he didn't want it to go to waste and used it in the Sol-20 (see picture). About 10,000 of them were produced, some as kits, some as pre-builts. Based on the Intel 8080 microprocessor, this machine occupies a special niche in computer history for technical and esthetic reasons. It was one of the earliest to include a keyboard interface and support circuitry for full implementation of every 8080 function. It was a pioneer towards modern video output boards by having a design that actually put up alphanumeric characters on the screen, using a form of distributed processing that didn't lean on the CPU for all processing. There were several models of the SOL-20 system : \- The SOL System I ($1649 in kit or $2129 assembled), with SOL Operating System, 8 KB RAM, a 12" TV/Monitor, and a cassette recorder with BASIC software tape. \- The SOL System II ($1883 in kit or $2283 assembled), is a SOL System I with 16 KB. \- The SOL System III ($4750 in kit or $5450 assembled), is a system II with 32 KB RAM, a video monitor, the HELIOS II Disk Memory System and a DISK BASIC floppy.